


Collision Course

by ZeevaWyte



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Because of Reasons, But then there's, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Han Solo Lives, Lots of both, Luke came back with Rey, M/M, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, i recognize that the council has made a decision, i've elected to ignore it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22095769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeevaWyte/pseuds/ZeevaWyte
Summary: Rey and Finn are on a mission to infiltrate a First Order base to get some information that could be crucial to the Resistance. It was supposed to be a simple in-an-out retrieval.Of course, things are never that easy.But no one is expecting what they find inside.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret)/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 191
Kudos: 597





	1. Detour

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Rescue and Regret](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21648874) by [LadyIrina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/pseuds/LadyIrina). 
  * Inspired by [Family and Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21758992) by [LadyIrina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/pseuds/LadyIrina). 



> ATTENTION!!! If you have not read [The Mandadlorian, his son and the Storm Trooper](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560925) by LadyIrina then this is going to be _really_ confusing considering that her beautiful OC Corin plays a pretty significant role in all of this. 
> 
> Seriously, go read it. You won't be disappointed. I don't usually like OC ships and I _definitely_ don't write for them. But by God, these three own my whole heart right now.
> 
> Oh! I should also mention that I moved the timeline around a bit. In this _The Mandalorian _takes place 6 years before _The Force Awakens_.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I hate my brain.**
> 
> **I couldn't work on the _THREE OTHER FICS I HAVE IN PROGRESS_ , nooooooo I've gotta start a _new_ multi-chapter fic with _someone else's_ OC as one of the main characters.**
> 
> **Because of course.**

Rey leaned around the corner, looking both directions carefully before rounding it and taking off at a light jog. Finn followed behind her, blaster out and at the ready.

A simple mission the General had said. Just the two of them sneaking in a side entrance to find the information the Resistance needed while another, larger group kept the base’s attention off them by attacking from the front.

In and out. 

Simple.

Things had been going according to plan. They got in fine, found the info, and were on their way out. It seemed like the mission was going to be just as simple as the General has said. Right up until they ran into a platoon of Stormtroopers going the _wrong_ _direction_.

If it hadn’t been for Rey’s training they would both be dead. Even with her new-found skill Finn had a nasty graze-burn on his right arm and her tunic was singed on the side from a shot that came _way_ too close for comfort. They made it though. All they had to do now was get to the exit.

They were only three turns away from their destination when out of nowhere a wave of _fearhopefearsadnessfear_ washed over her senses, a powerful heart-wrenching combination that had her tripping and almost crashing to the floor.

“Rey?”

Rey looked up at Finn’s silent question, head swimming with feelings that weren’t her own. “I’m alright, I just-” She glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the outpouring of emotion was coming from. “I feel something.”

Her friend’s eyes widened, a bit of fear slipping into his posture as he began scanning the area in earnest. “Ren?”

She shook her head and closed her eyes, concentrating. “No. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not him.”

From beside her Finn let out a huge sigh of relief just as the presence she had brushed up against dimmed alarmingly.

“This way.” She opened her eyes and quickly turned around to dart down a hallway that looked almost identical to the ones they had just been walking past.

“Woah, whoa, wait!” Finn hurried to follow, glancing behind them at the sound of explosions still coming from outside. “We’re supposed to be getting _out_ of here remember? They’re waiting on our go-ahead to blow this place up!”

“I know.” But her pace didn’t slow, something was telling her that she _needed_ to find whatever had reached out to her. And fast. “But this is important.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” She replied as she skidded around a corner, Finn almost tripping into the wall at the suddenness of the turn. “I just know that it is.”

Around the next corner a group of Stormtroopers were moving quickly in the opposite direction. At the sound of their appearance several of them spun around, blasters lifting. Rey ignited her lightsaber and made sure Finn had ducked behind a wall before continuing forward, deflecting plasma bolts as she went. The Troopers went down easily, three of them to Finn’s expert shooting.

When they were all dead she threw her arm out, catching the officer that had been fleeing the fight and flinging him back toward them. He hit the ground hard and a bundle of cloth tumbled out of his grip.

Rey’s attention immediately zeroed in on what the man had been holding.

That.

_That_ was what she had been drawn to. Whatever was hidden in that bundle had reached out to her, she just needed to-

The sound of a blaster going off jolted her out of her revere. Her head whipped around just in time to see the First Order soldier slump to the side, gun in one hand and a smoking hole in his back.

“Rey!” Finn was running down the hallway sounding worried and chastising in one. “What are you doing? He almost shot you!”

She didn’t really know how to respond, instead she just frowned and turned back to what the man had dropped. Cutting off her lightsaber and hanging it on her belt, she walked over and crouched next to it.

Rey felt her friend follow and lean over her shoulder as she started to shift through the cloth for whatever it was hiding. “This is what’s so important that we had to make a detour in a soon-to-be-blown-up First Order base? What even is it?”

Rey was about to say, _again,_ that she didn’t _know_ it was just a _feeling,_ when the last layer pulled away and she was faced with-

“Is that a _baby?!?”_

Finn’s voice pitched up nearly an entire octave as he leaned in closer, but Rey was too surprised to tease him about it. She carefully smoothed the fabric away from the tiny being, revealing two long green ears and face that was strangely childlike despite the wrinkles.

“I… think so?” It was unconscious, but breathing and she was suddenly worried that it had been hurt by the fall. “We need to get back to the Resistance. To make sure it’s alright.”

The ex-trooper nodded quickly and straitened up. “Yeah… yeah, right. Ok.”

Rey picked the baby up, gently tucking it’s ears back into the folds of the blanket and cradling it to her chest as they both turned to make their way out of this place.

The Force seemed to _hum_ around their little group.

“Let’s get out of here.”


	2. Dead End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes a lot to make a Mandalorian truly panic.
> 
> Din is there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I don't normally update right away - I'm notoriously awful and unpredictable in that regard - but I had this chapter written before the first one and they're both pretty short so... here's some of that Angst I was talking about.**

Din was _panicking_.

He couldn’t deny it any longer. He was panicking and there was nothing he could do about it.

His child was missing.

_Had_ been missing. For _three days_.

A group of bounty hunters aided by Imperial-sorry- _First Order_ troops had managed to get the drop on them, grab the kid, and run. It was the first time in a _long_ time something like that had happened. He had dropped his guard too much, and the hunters had played it smart. Separating the three of them and only fighting long enough to get away.

Din had locked down the panic bubbling in his chest then, buried and channeled it into interrogating the one Trooper unlucky enough not to have died in the initial fight.

It took him less than four hours to get the information on where they had taken the kid.

It took almost a day and a half to fix the damage they had done to the _Crest_ enough to fly after them. Another to get to the location without exploding.

And now they were here, a small well-hidden base nestled in the side of a canyon on some random planet somewhere on the inside edge of the Outer Rim.

It was empty.

Not for long, clearly. And not by choice. There were scorch marks all along some of the corridors and large sections were still smoking where explosives had been dropped on them.

The child wasn’t there.

They checked. _Twice_. He and Corin had scoured the entire base from top to bottom and back, even traversing the damaged parts despite the danger. There was no sign of the kid anywhere.

On one hand, that meant that he was most likely still alive. Din’s heart had been in his throat the entire time they had been searching, hoping beyond hope to find the kid but terrified to the _core_ of stumbling across a tiny body.

Missing meant that he might still be ok.

But they had no leads. No unconscious troopers left behind to interrogate, no physical or digital clue of where they would take him next.

They were at a dead end.

And suddenly all that fear and dread and _panic_ that he had been ignoring in favor of _finding the kid_ had nothing to hold it back anymore.

He knew his breathing was harsh and too quick. He also knew that he worrying his wonderful riddur who was probably just as panicked as him. But he couldn’t stop. Nothing he thought or did would calm him down. The kid was _gone_ and there was _nothing he could do about it-_

The other man finally caught him by the arm and forced him to stop on his third pass through the same area. Din tried to jerk away but Corin held tight, using the grip to force Din to face him and grab his other arm for good measure.

“Din he’ll be ok, we’ll find him. No matter what it takes.”

He couldn’t know that though. Nothing was absolute. There was no way to know if the kid was alright, if he was _going_ to be alright when- _if_ they found him. Because that wasn’t a grantee ether. Din knew he would go to hell and back to find the kid but he was just a man. A Mandalorian sure, but the galaxy was huge. There was no grantee that they would ever see the kid again, if he was even still-

Din didn’t realize that that he was shaking until one of Corin’s hands came to rest gently on the side of his neck, thumb slipping up to softly caress the skin of his jaw. Din let out a shuddering breath and leaned almost desperately into the touch. Eyes slipping closed as his hand came up, gripping Corin’s wrist probably a bit tighter than he should.

But his ridurr didn’t complain. He simply tugged Din closer, other hand dropping to his waist. Corin leaned forward until his forehead met the metal of Din’s helmet.

“It’ll be ok.” He repeated, voice soft as his touch. _“We’ll find him.”_

For a moment Din simply leaned closer and let himself believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Mando'a translations:** _   
>  **Riddur - husband/wife/spouse**
> 
> **Din and Corin have been traveling together for over 6 years at this point. And considering how much UST is floating around that ship and how utterly _done_ the kiddo is with their ridiculous pining after only a few weeks, I'm making the safe assumption that at some point Din finally breaks down and uses actual words for once.**
> 
> **That or Paz and Raga snap and propose to Corin _for_ him.**
> 
> **Ether way they get married.**


	3. Reverse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The child causes a stir wherever it goes, conscious or not. The Resistance is not an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Thank you all for your incredible comments and kudos! I was kind of nervous posting this because I didn't know if anyone would like it, but you all blew me away with your response! Sorry this took a bit, I wanted to post this last week but the end just _would not_ cooperate. Plus school started up on Monday and I had to deal with that mess. Better late than never though, right?**
> 
> **The next chapter on the other hand is completely written, just need to edit. So you'll probably get two updates in one week to make up for it. ^-^**

_~Two days earlier~_

The Millennium Falcon was waiting for them just over the next ridge, hidden out of sight behind several massive rock pillars. The ramp lowered as they got close and Rey saw Chewie waiting for them with his crossbow out. He rumbled at them in question as they entered.

“No, we weren’t followed.” Another rumble. “Yes I’m sure. They didn’t even see us leave.”

Finn sighed as the ramp rose and the Falcon started to lift off the ground, relaxing his grip on the blaster for the first time since the shooting started. They all made their way further into the ship and he dropped exhaustedly into the first chair he found, grumbling. “Yeah, because all the ones we ran into are dead.”

Rey grimaced, she knew how much Finn disliked fighting and tried to avoid it when at all possible. One of the reasons he had agreed to go on this mission was because there wasn’t supposed to be any shooting involved. She was about to ask if he was alright when another voice interrupted from the direction of the cockpit.

“You kids ok? Everybody upstairs was gettin’ kinda antsy when you two didn’t come out as fast as they planned.”

Finn rolled his eyes at being called _kids_ and Rey grinned. “Yes, we’re fine.”

“ _Mostly_ fine.” Finn added, gingerly poking at his injured arm. Chewie made a concerned noise and shuffled over to where they kept the medical supplies. He offered a few options to Finn who thanked him and began using them to treat the burn.

“So what was the holdup?”

Finn looked up and met Rey’s eyes. “Uh, it’s… kind of complicated.”

“Complicated? What do you mean ‘complicated?’” Han Solo’s voice was incredulous as he strolled into the communal area, hands on his hips. He frowned when he saw the bundle Rey was carrying. “And what is that?”

The Jedi in training looked down at it, not really thinking about it before saying, “I think it’s a baby.”

The older man’s exclamation of _“What???”_ was almost drowned out by Chewie undeniably shouting the same thing in his own language.

The two of them hurried over, almost crowding her, so Rey shifted her hold on it so they could see. “It called out to me while we were leaving. It’s one of the reasons we took so long.”

Han’s eyes shot up to hers. “Called out to you? You mean with the Force?”

“Yes, but not with words or pictures. I felt its emotions.” She looked back down at the child and gently smoothed down the blankets around its face. “It was so scared, I couldn’t leave it.”

The ex-smuggler’s face twisted with an emotion Rey couldn’t quite place. Whatever it was didn’t look pleasant. “It’s probably a good thing you didn’t. Who knows what those First Order creeps were going to do with the little guy.” He reached out to push the fabric back a tad, exposing the upper half of one of the baby’s big ears. “It sure is a weird looking thing, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Chewie roared suddenly and Han looked up at him in surprise. “What do you mean you have? When have you ever seen anything like this?”

The Wookiee rumbled out what sounded like quite the story.

“When you were a kid? Really?” Chewie continued to talk and Han’s face dipped further into disbelief. “A _Jedi?_ You want me to believe that you hung out with a _Jedi_ when you were a kid? Yeah right.”

Chewie growled and reached around Rey to smack at him repeatedly. “Ow! Hey! Alright! Alright you overgrown furball!”

While Han tried to get him to stop, Finn stood and joined them in their little huddle. “You met a Jedi like this?” The ex-trooper didn’t understand Wookiee but he got the gist when Chewie punctuated whatever he said by nodding vigorously. “Do you know where he was from? Or his species?”

A mournful tone and a head shake crushed whatever hope Rey had at being able to find the baby’s people and return it. “What are we going to do? If we don’t know what species it is then how are we going to find it’s parents?”

The question caused a grim look to cross the older man's face. “It was in the hands of the First Order. It… might not have parents.”

The unspoken ‘ _anymore’_ seemed to echo around the ship, darkening the mood significantly.

After a few moments of somber silence Han let out a heavy breath. “Well, whatever happened there's nothing we can do about it now. The only thing we _can_ do is take it back to base and make sure those Empire wannabes didn't hurt it too badly.” He glanced back down at the child who was still mostly bundled up and unconscious in Rey’s arms. “I'll let Leia know we picked up an extra passenger and that we'll meet her in the med bay.”

Rey nodded and tucked the little being close to her chest again, sure that the General would come up with some sort of plan.

**~~~**

There was little fanfare when they landed, just a few scattered cheers from whoever happened to be in the hangar. Quite a few pilots had gone with them on the mission to provide cover, including the entire Black squadron, and weren’t back from destroying the base yet.

Which meant that the small bundle Rey was holding only garnered a few odd glances from people they passed on their way to Medical.

The reaction once they got there, on the other hand, was barely controlled chaos.

Once she explained how they had come across the little one and that she wasn’t sure if it had been harmed, the medical staff _sprang_ into action, carefully settling it on a bed and scanning it for injuries. At the same time some of the less professional nurses (and most of the patients) were trying to sneak a peak of the adorable little creature.

Finn was sure that by the end of the day the whole Base would know about the Force-sensitive baby he and Rey had found on a random mission to steal information from the First Order.

Not even threats made by the semi-terrifying head medical droid could get the onlookers to disperse. They only finally left when the General herself walked in and sent them scurrying away with a command and a well-placed glare.

“So,” General Organa began, voice softening at the sight of the tiny being sleeping on the bed. “This is the little thing that’s causing all the fuss.”

“Yes ma’am.” Finn stood at attention. No matter how many times Leia had told him he didn’t have to, the young man continued to act like a soldier speaking to a superior officer when she was around. “Rey found him while we were attempting to leave the base.”

“He reached out to me. With the Force. It felt…” Rey paused, unsure how to explain. “Scared and really powerful. But… mindful almost? Of my own feelings.”

Leia nodded slowly and let her gaze slide back to the child, assessing. “He certainly is strong in the Force. It surrounds him in a way I have rarely ever seen. And you say he showed restraint when connecting with you?”

“Yes! Restrained, exactly.” Rey affirmed, and the room fell silent as everyone digested this.

After a few moments the General hummed and nodded decisively. “We’ll keep him here for now. Rey, Finn, would the two of you take turns keeping an eye on him?” The two gave their agreement and she continued. “Once he wakes up we’ll decide on a course of action.”

Finn seemed a bit surprised. “What about Master Skywalker?”

“All in good time.” Leia replied easily. “Right now our first priority is making sure the little one is healthy. Once he’s awake and settled in we’ll see about his Force potential.”

At that moment one of the officers by the door lifted a hand to his earpiece and nodded, taking two steps forward to stand next to the General. “Ma’am, the other pilots have returned. All present and accounted for.”

Finn visibly brightened at this news and shot a furtive glance at the door, suddenly having difficulty standing still.

The General exchanged an amused glance with Rey, before addressing the young man, nodding toward the door. “You’re excused Finn. Just make sure I have your written report by the end of the day.”

“Thank you General!” He was out of the med bay as soon as he finished speaking.

Rey rolled her eyes and settled into the chair one of the nurses had placed beside the bed. “Those two…”

Leia chuckled and gave her shoulder a commiserating pat. “They’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Hopefully before we all lose our minds at their idiocy.”

“Yes.” The General agreed with a smile. “Well, I have things to get back to. It would be helpful in your report if you described what you felt in detail? So I can get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

“Of course!” Rey replied immediately. “I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all I ask.” With one last smile the General made her way out and Rey settled in for a long wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Feel free to comment what kind of shenanigans you think the kid's gonna get up to when he's finally awake. I am totally open to suggestions! The more adorable chaos the better.**


	4. Diversion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Child discovers that he’s no longer in the hands of the First Order, and his overwhelming cuteness claims yet another victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Next chapter early, as promised!**   
> **So, are you ready for chaos and so much _‘Aww’_ your heart will explode?**  
>  ** _Because the baby’s awake._**

For the first time since he had been stolen from his aliit, the child woke surrounded by light.

Not physical light, in fact the place he had been taken to before had been almost too bright for his eyes at times. No, he was once again surrounded by Force light. The kind of light that shone from beings who spoke to him kindly and didn’t hurt him.

Blinking slowly at his surroundings, he pushed himself up from the softness he had been resting on. A look around once again showed an unfamiliar room, white with lots of beeping machines and one person asleep in a chair. Not including the person, it reminded him unpleasantly of where he was before. But he wasn’t scared. There was too much light in this place for it to be bad.

But where were his buir’e? A small frown pulled at his features as he stretched his awareness, reaching out and searching for them as far as he could go. But no matter where he looked he couldn’t find them.

He let out a doleful coo and his ears drooped as he realized that they weren’t here. His aliit hadn’t found him.

The person in the chair was the especially bright light he had felt back in the Bad Place. They must have brought him here. He was glad to be away from the Mean Ones but he wanted his buir’e. He wanted to curl up in their arms and feel their light wrap around him, warm and safe.

Mind made up, he scooted his way to the edge of the soft place and carefully dropped down to the floor. As he left the room he kept out of sight just like his buir, ducking behind things and into doorways as people passed him.

He didn’t know where he was going really, just that he didn’t want to stay in the white room anymore. He didn’t like white rooms.

Eventually he entered a large open area with lots of people moving around in it. Hiding was much easier here, even with all the people. There were lots of things scattered around that made it easy to keep from being seen and nobody was really paying attention anyway.

He moved around the big room without anyone the wiser, watching people and droids moving from place to place and letting his own light brush against theirs. The child didn’t have a purpose in it, he was just enjoying feeling all the different sensations it brought.

Until suddenly one of the lights reacted.

It wasn’t like how the really bright one from before reached back to him, it was more like someone leaning into a touch. Feeling and enjoying the contact but not returning the gesture.

It felt… almost like his buir’e.

Attention fully diverted, the child changed course and headed toward the light that almost felt like home.

~

_“Kriffing First Order.”_

Poe grumbled under his breath as he pulled yet another fried wire out of his X-wing. _“…mal bastardos and their kriffing cannons.”_

Truthfully there wasn’t a lot of damage, but it was enough to throw most of his controls off. He had been grazed by one of the base’s cannons while shooting down a TIE fighter that had been on Jess’ tail and had to retreat up out of firing range for the rest of the fight.

He _hated_ having to watch from a distance as his friends risked their lives. Especially when the mission took longer than expected and there was nothing to distract him from the fact that _Finn_ was down there in that base and there was nothing Poe could do if something went wrong. The only thing that kept him from flying down there and going in himself was the fact that Rey was also in the base with Finn.

Poe only relaxed when Solo radioed in to say that they were both aboard and mostly unharmed.

He was still frustrated at having been mostly useless during the fight though and the others noticed, keeping the teasing to a minimum and letting him have his space.

The cloud had lifted slightly when Finn came to see him after they landed. That always made him happy, despite the pointed looks and knowing grins he got from his squadron. But it seemed that today not even Finn’s presence could banish his bad mood completely, because as soon as the other man left to finish up his report to the General Poe felt himself slip back into being irritated for no good reason.

He had about decided to give up for the day and head to the gym to find something he could punch, when suddenly he felt lighter.

Nothing had changed, but… he just wasn’t as angry anymore. It was odd. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, the peaceful feeling that settled over him reminding him of his home on Yavin 4.

BB-8 beeped at him from the ground worriedly and his eyes blinked open.

“I’m fine buddy.” Poe shook his head, confused by what had happened but not ungrateful. “Just letting my eyes rest a second.”

The next chirp he heard didn't sound nearly robotic enough to have come from BB. Frowning in confusion, Poe leaned back from his X-wing and looked down to see possibly one of the cutest things he'd ever laid eyes on.

The little creature that was staring up at him from next to his toolbox had green skin, _huge_ brown eyes, and long floppy ears. And if its looks weren't enough to melt his heart, the tiny thing tilted it's head and gave a happy little squeak at his attention.

"Well _hey_ there." Poe could feel the rest of his foul mood - and also his entire capacity to concentrate on _anything_ but the adorable being in front of him - utterly vanish.

He quickly wiped his hands on a rag and hopped down from his perch to trot over and crouch down in front of it, a wide smile on his face. "Where did you come from little guy?"

The creature's ears lifted and it made a curious sound.

Oh, wow. He was going to die of cuteness. His day just got infinitely better. "I'm Poe." He introduced himself, even though he wasn't sure it could understand him. A few questioning beeps made him belatedly remember his own little companion. “And that’s BB-8.”

The droid rolled to a stop beside them, head sliding to one side of their ball as they examined the newcomer. The creature tilted its head to follow the droid’s motion. BB-8 turned their camera to Poe and beeped.

“I don’t know BB. It just showed up.” He reached out and rubbed the sensor on the top of the droid’s head. “Maybe we could take a break and find out? Something so little shouldn’t be left on their own like this for long.”

BB-8 trilled happily and rolled in a small circle.

The little green guy wiggled in place as though trying to imitate what BB was doing.

The pilot grinned as BB focused back on the creature and beeped a question, head sliding to one side again. Only for the little guy to copy the motion. The droid let out a bright trill and spun their head around, prompting an equally happy squeak and full-body twirl from the other.

Poe laughed, accidentally pulling their attention away from each other. BB started beeping excitedly, rolling in tight circles around the two of them.

“I know, I know buddy.” He replied, still laughing. The creature was trying to follow BB’s path with its eyes, turning circles and cooing happily. But apparently all the spinning made it dizzy, because after a few moments it swayed in place and plopped down into what Poe assumed was a sitting position with a surprised squeak.

BB-8 let out a concerned series of noises and hurried over, rocking back and forth anxiously as Poe moved forward to make sure the little guy was ok. It didn’t seem upset though, just surprised, and he let out a relieved sigh.

“Maybe no more spinning.” BB-8 beeped an affirmative and rolled closer, allowing a little three-fingered hand to reach out and touch the plating on their side.

Then the tiny face broke out into a wide yawn.

“Well,” Poe smiled again, amused. “Looks like someone's tired.”

"Buir."

He blinked.

Well, apparently it could speak. Not in a language Poe knew, but that was _definitely_ a word and not some random gibberish. "I… don't know what that means buddy."

The little creature's ears drooped and it's bottom lip came up in a clear pout. _"Buir."_ It repeated. "Cop- copaanir _buir’e_."

Poe floundered for a moment, unsure what to do. Should he go find the General? C-3PO could probably tell them what the little guy was saying, but he didn't know where they were and didn't want to interrupt if she was busy.

Luckily he didn't have to make that decision, because at that moment the creature lifted its arms in a gesture that was recognized almost universally.

As gently as possible he reached out and picked up the kid – it _had_ to be a kid – to cradle it against his chest. He was rewarded with a sleepy coo as little claws grabbed onto the fabric of his jacket, its head coming to rest against his shoulder.

A warm fuzzy feeling spread through his chest and belatedly Poe realized that he was absolutely done for. He welcomed his fate. “Whelp, looks like we’re done with repairs for now BB.”

The droid’s response was drowned out by a loud _BANG_ echoing across the hangar. The kid’s ears flattened at the noise and it buried its face further into Poe’s jacket, causing him to frown and look over. It looked like Snap’s X-wing had also taken damage, as they were currently removing and replacing parts of the outer plating. He stood slowly as to not disturb his tiny passenger and glanced down at his orange companion. “What do you say we get out of here and go for a walk?”

BB-8 trilled their agreement and the three of them set off toward one of the outer doors at a leisurely pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Mal bastardos – evil bastards (Poe speaks Spanish. Fight me)**   
>  **Buir – father/mother/parent**   
>  **Buir’e – plural of buir**   
>  **Copaanir buir’e – want parents (fathers in this case. He’s asking for Din and Corin)**
> 
> **Ok, so time for a bit of headcanon: In my mind there's a difference between being Force-sensitive and Force-receptive. Force-sensitive means you have the natural ability to manipulate the Force. Force-receptive, on the other hand, means that you are naturally open to it.**
> 
> **These are not the same thing.**
> 
> **The ability to use the Force does not automatically mean you can fully connect to it, nor does an easy connection mean that you can manipulate it. The strongest Force-users are usually both, but not always.**
> 
> **People who are only Force-receptive usually don't even realize that there's something different about them. Most just chalk anything odd that they can do up to quick reflexes and good instincts because their ability mostly doesn't affect anything except how aware they are of their surroundings.**
> 
> **Poe is Force-receptive.**
> 
> **So are Din and Corin.**   
> **(I’d imagine that a disproportionate amount of Mandalorians are Force-receptive just by the nature of their culture. I'd also be tempted to say that Corin was just a fluke - because it definitely didn't run in the family - but I distinctly remember there being a certain saying about the Force...)**
> 
> **TLDR: Poe's energy reacts to a strong Force presence in a similar way to Din and Corin, which is why the kid has decided that Poe's an acceptable dad substitute for now.**


	5. Gearshift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The child is already causing trouble, Poe is accidentally a hero, and Luke has war flashbacks to being used as a pack animal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***looks at date of last update and cringes***   
>  **Ah, *gestures sheepishly at 2020?***   
>  **I know there was a time gap before the Year From Hell™ really got rolling but Mother Nature going crazy certainly didn’t help. Between that and having three close-family deaths within the span of four months (none from C*vid, ironically) my mental heath has… not been the greatest.**   
>  **But I’m back, I’m alive, and I have another chapter. Hopefully next time it won’t take me ten months to update -u-"**

Poe thought their walk went pretty well.

The kid perked up almost as soon as they got outside, drowsiness clearly forgotten as wide eyes took in as much as they possibly could. Once they reached his favorite clearing a small distance away from the base, he put the little guy down and let him explore.

He kept a close eye on the kid as it wandered around, poking at bushes and waddling excitedly after a group of red scaled creatures that scattered when he got close. BB was obviously keeping their optical unit on the kid too, only rolling away from their new friend’s side to help corral the besieged reptiles.

Poe was actually surprised at how capable the little guy was. Several of the lizards almost ended up trapped in tiny claws before they managed to dart under rocks or up trees out of reach. He lost track of time for a while as he watched the two knee-high beings chase the lizards back and forth across the grass, sitting with his back against the bark of a large tree as a soft breeze blew through his hair.

It was nice. It’d been too long since he allowed himself time to take a break and just relax.

Unfortunately the moment couldn’t last. He had responsibilities to get back to, not to mention he kind of disappeared without telling anybody. That probably wasn’t the best thing for a commander to do.

When the shadows on the ground started to get a bit too long he let out a deep sigh and pushed himself to his feet, stretching his arms over his head. He winced when his back popped a few times, twisting around a bit to stretch out the muscles that had tightened up from sitting in the same position for so long.

“All right you two.” He spoke up, doing his best imitation of his father’s ‘dad voice.’ That usually did the trick when the Black Squadron was getting too unruly, hopefully it’d work here too. The child and droid both turned to look at him and their latest quarry scurried away while their attention was diverted. “Time to get back.”

Poe still didn’t know if the kid could understand what he was saying, but it seemed like he at least grasped the general tone if the drooping ears and pitiful noise were any indication. BB-8 was _no_ help at all and actually had the audacity to echo the kid with a sad whine of their own.

He rolled his eyes, amused. “Yeah, yeah. I’m an awful person. Got it. We still gotta go.”

The kid insisted on walking on his own, which made the return trip take about twice as long as when he had been carried. Not that Poe was complaining. After so long being in ether the base or the cockpit it was nice to be outdoors again.

When they finally made it back, Poe got about five steps through the door before he realized that something was wrong. The hangar was always a hub of activity during the day – people coming and going, pilots and mechanics working on their ships, droids milling around doing their various tasks – but something about the atmosphere now felt… off. A quick scan showed that no one was working on the ships, which was already odd enough considering several of them seemed mid-repair, but what really clenched it was the frantic way everyone was rushing around.

He jogged forward and managed to snag the arm of a young pilot he vaguely remembered joining the Resistance about four weeks ago. “Hey, what’s going on?”

The kid’s harried expression blanched even further when he looked back to see who had grabbed him. “C- commander Dameron! Sir! You’re- I mean, I’m just-”

Normally he would find the pilot’s starstruck expression and obvious hero-worship amusing, but right now he needed to find out why everyone was so on edge. “Kid _, focus_. What’s happening?”

“I- _right_. Right, ok.” The young pilot visibly settled himself back into a soldier’s mindset, and the sight caused a melancholic pang in Poe’s chest. “The ground team from today’s mission brought back a Force-sensitive creature - a baby - they found in the base. It was unconscious when they got back so they took it to the med bay.”

Poe frowned, nodding slowly. He remembered Finn saying something about that when he came by earlier. Finn had promised to show him after he cleaned up and made his report. That didn’t explain what was making everyone rush around like panicked mouse droids though.

The kid continued, answering the question before Poe could even ask. “It disappeared. The last anyone saw it was still asleep in the med bay and nobody saw it leave. They’ve been searching for it for almost an hour. The whole base is looking.”

Ah, that made sense. Poe opened his mouth to say… something. He didn’t really know, because at that moment a truly laughable thought occurred to him and everything else on his mind abruptly took a backseat.

“What,” he started in a carefully controlled tone, “ _exactly_ , does this baby look like?”

The other pilot blinked in confusion at the shift in his demeanor but answered quickly enough. “Um, small? Green. Big ears. They said we’d know it when we saw it.”

Poe smothered the slightly hysterical laugh that bubbled up in his chest and turned to look behind him to where the kid and BB-8 had finally caught up to him. He pointed down at the little green child that seemed to be almost hiding behind the droid and looked back at the pilot. “…that baby?”

The other man’s eyes widened. “You found it! I’ll go tell the General!”

He then rushed off before Poe could get a word in edgewise.

With a deep sigh Poe turned and crouched next to BB-8 and the kid. “Looks like you caused a bit of a scare, huh?” The child just cooed, wide eyes blinking up at him innocently. “Uh huh, well now we gotta go face the music.”

He picked the kid up again and headed deeper into the base. The little guy squirmed a bit at first but settled down when he seemed to realize that Poe wasn’t going to put him down this time. The little pout he gave didn’t get him what he wanted ether.

It was _incredibly_ cute though.

Word that he had ‘found’ the kid spread quickly and Poe found himself having to doge what seemed like half the Resistance on his way to the briefing room, all wanting to congratulate him and/or get a glimpse of the tiny thing that had single-handedly halted all productivity in the base for over an hour.

He had made it past the majority of people and was two corridors away from his goal when a familiar voice had his steps halting instinctively.

“Poe! Rinan said you found the baby?” Finn was jogging towards him looking harried, but the expression smoothed into one of absolute relief when he noticed the kid in Poe’s arms. “Oh, thank the _Force_. I was beginning to think he was totally gone! I _really_ didn’t want to have to explain to the General how we lost a Force-sensitive baby.”

Poe grinned as his friend caught up and they fell into step one with another, shoulders brushing as BB-8 continued to roll along beside them. “ _‘The Force works in mysterious ways.’”_ He quoted in an exaggerated tone, remembering all the times that had been the only answer he’d received to his many questions. “And so do the people who use it. She would’ve understood.”

Finn blew out a slow breath. “I know. I just don’t want to disappoint her.” He glanced gown at the child in Poe’s arms with a tired grin. “Or lose a baby.”

The kid seemed to know he was being talked about and his ears lifted at the attention, waving a tiny hand at the ex-trooper and letting out a cheerful “Aah!” which had both men smiling helplessly.

“Hey I get being afraid of disappointing the General, but she wouldn’t blame you for something that wasn’t your fault. Especially when this little guy seems like such a trouble-maker.” Poe shifted his grip to tickle the child’s tummy, or what he assumed was his tummy, resulting in an explosion of squeals and wiggling. “Aren’t you? Pure trouble. A menace to society.”

Finn laughed and Poe considered that a mission success.

Any further conversation stalled as the door to the briefing room slid open in front of them. The General was there, of course, along with her brother and husband, Chewbacca, several other officials, and Rey who was standing beside the table instead of sitting down.

“Dameron,” the General greeted, clearly more amused by this whole situation than anything else now that she knew their little guest was safe. “Why am I not surprised?”

Poe grinned and shrugged, the motion prompting an errant giggle from the child in his arms. “Couldn’t say ma’ma. I’m a model citizen.”

She chuckled and shook her head. Before she could continue, however, another voice cut in.

“By the Force…”

The surprise of hearing Luke Skywalker’s voice had all heads in the room turning. The Jedi Master had been reclusive and quiet ever since arriving on base, and no one really had the courage to just go up and start a conversation. Even those that had known him before seemed hesitant to approach. The only exceptions were the General, Han, and Chewbacca. And Rey, but Rey was an exception to a lot of things.

The expression on his face now was one Poe never imagined seeing on such a revered figure. Wide eyes and mouth open, he looked like that bird thing that had stowed away on the Falcon when they came back from whatever deserted planet Skywalker had been on before.

“Luke?” The General questioned, clearly also surprised by her brother’s reaction. “What is it?”

Skywalker didn’t reply, complete focus on the child in Poe’s arms as he rose from his seat and moved closer. The kid simply tilted its head and returned the intent look with a curious one as the Jedi came to a stop in front of them.

“I never thought I’d see the day…” His tone was low and almost reverent as he reached out a hand to the child, which was answered by a happy “Ah!” and the kid grabbing onto metal fingers with his tiny hands.

“You recognize him?” Rey asked, tone and body language shifting to barely-restrained hope.

The question seemed to bring Skywalker back a bit and he glanced at her briefly before once more focusing on the kid, who was entertaining himself by bending the fingers in his grip and watching the metal pieces move. “In a way. I have only encountered one of his species before, but he was very gifted in the Force.”

Chewbacca roared and the Jedi looked back again, this time in surprise. “Master Yoda, yes. I didn’t know you knew him Chewie.”

The Wookie went to continue but Solo cut him off. “Hold on, you mean that ridiculous story was true?”

Chewbacca started roaring louder and the General interrupted before it could turn into an actual fight.

“If you two are going to argue like children you can do it _after_ the meeting.” The hard glare she gave had both men begrudgingly settling down. “Now, Luke. Didn’t you say Yoda was the one you met on Dagobah?”

Skywalker nodded. “Yes, he completed my training after Ben died.”

“Whoa, hold on, _wait_.” Poe cut in, mind reeling. “You’re saying that the one who _trained you to be a Jedi_ was the same species as _this_ little guy?”

Every eye in the room once again landed on the child in his arms, who now had Skywalker’s hand partially in his mouth and seemed to be chewing on it. When he sensed the attention on him he looked up and gave a cheerful gurgle around the metal.

“Yes.” Skywalker didn’t seem bothered by being used as a chew toy and simply let the kid keep gnawing on his hand as he looked to his sister. “Master Yoda told me he was over nine-hundred before he died. This one is obviously nowhere near that age, but he’s already more powerful than most of the other Force users I’ve met.”

The General pursed her lips. “So the First Order wanted him for his age and power.”

“They would have plenty of time to try and turn him.” The Jedi said with a nod, looking back to the child and away from the table as he continued quietly. “…and young ones are always the most venerable if not guided well.”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly got unbearably uncomfortable. No one quite knew what to say that wouldn’t accidentally touch on the very obvious and painful double-meaning behind that statement.

After several agonizing minutes of silence the General sighed.

“At least he’s here now.” Her gaze was sad as it rested on her brother before smoothing out and moving to the child, still happily chewing on his hand, then to Poe. “Dameron, he seems to like you. Would you mind watching him with Rey and Finn? An extra set of eyes never hurts, especially after his vanishing act earlier today.”

Poe immediately nodded and shifted his grip on the kid. “Of course General.”

She gave him a smile and turned back to the others at the table. “Well, that should be sufficient for now. We’ll try and see what kind of information we can dig up about his species. In the meantime, if the three of you have any trouble come find me and let me know. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes ma’am!” Rey replied and immediately trotted over to the group in the doorway, smiling down at the child with a small wave. “Hello little one, remember me?”

The baby blinked his huge eyes and finally stopped chewing on Skywalker’s hand so he could babble at Rey, tiny hand mimicking her wave.

As Rey practically melted at how cute it was, Poe thought that watching the little guy wouldn’t be a hardship for any of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still love comments and suggestions! This is only the beginning...  
> ;)


	6. Drifting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it takes a while to sink in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hey look, a new update in only slightly over a week! Y’all ready for some more angst? It’s been a while since we checked back up with the Dads, and it’s been nearly a week since they’ve seen their kid.**
> 
> **It's short but to be fair, Unus Annus is ending tomorrow and I had like 60 videos to catch up on. The next one will be longer and back to the cute stuff. Love all y'all, thanks for all the lovely comments and kudos!** 💙

His hands were shaking. They shouldn’t be shaking.

They had a lead. They were on the right track, he could feel it. Now that they had a trail to follow, nothing in the _galaxy_ could have stopped Din from finding their kid. It was only a matter of time before their ad’ika was back with them, safe. _Loved_. Where he belonged.

So why _now?_ Why was he falling apart now that they had a direction? Now that they were one step closer to being a family again?

Corin’s breath hitched as his thumb traced the colorful lines of the drawing he held in his shaking hands.

He closed his eyes when the three figures holding hands started to blur, fingers tightening but carefully not ripping the paper. It felt like he had broken ribs, like no matter what he did he couldn’t seem to get enough air in his lungs. It was as if something had wrapped itself around his heart and was slowly squeezing, a poison spreading through his chest and killing him from the inside out.

_He wanted his son._

Tears he had been fighting for what seemed like hours finally spilled over, turning shaky breaths into quiet sobs. Corin felt pathetic, curled up on their bed crying his eyes out like a child while his husband was actively trying to find their ad’ika. But he couldn’t stop. Every time he started to get himself under control his mind would circle back to the very thing that had him break down in the first place, stirring up wave after wave of misery for him to drown in.

The feeling of gentle fingers running through his hair was what finally drew him back to reality. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings again he could see that Din had come down from the cockpit and was hovering beside the bed. His helmet and gloves had been abandoned somewhere behind him, dark eyes watching filled with a shared pain that only a parent could know.

“’m sorry.” Corin rasped, rough and little more than a whisper. He knew he didn’t have to apologize, not to Din, but he didn’t know what else to say. His eyes fell back to the picture in his hand, voice breaking as he tried to explain. “I just-”

The fingers in his hair tightened slightly and Din shook his head, moving to sit beside him on the bunk and pulling him closer. Corin turned and buried his face in the fabric of his Din’s cloak, tucking himself as close as physically possible. Eventually the familiar feeling of being in his husband’s arms finally started to calm his rapid breathing. He felt a long kiss pressed to the side of his head, calming hand still running through his hair.

“Ni kar'taylir gar darasuum.”

Corin knew, he _did_. Din made sure he knew, by his actions if nothing else. But that didn’t stop the rush of warmth he got whenever the words were spoken, even after all these years. “I love you too.”

His husband hummed and pressed another kiss to his head. “We’ll find him.”

Corin let out a shaky breath. “I know.” His fingers tightened on the picture still resting in his lap.

“I know we will.”


End file.
